Wamena, Jubi – The visit of YouTuber and content creator Bobon Santoso alongside the commander of the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Regional Command (Kodam), Major General Febriel Buyung Sikumbang, to Papua Highlands has been criticised by a pro-independence group as an attempt to divert attention from humanitarian issues in the region.
The West Baliem chapter of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) said the presence of Bobon Santoso, the Cenderawasih military commander, and other senior state officials in Papua Highlands was intended to shift public attention away from the armed conflict and the National Strategic Projects (PSN) in Papua.
West Baliem KNPB chair Demin Tabuni said the visit by senior government officials and military leaders to Lanny Jaya Regency on Friday, as part of the military's community service program, was an effort by the Indonesian government to obscure allegations surrounding killings, disappearances in Malagaineri, and the ongoing militarisation of Lanny Jaya.
Tabuni said the military's planned activities – including building bridges, constructing houses for residents, and installing clean water facilities – did not reflect the reality of conditions in Lanny Jaya.
"Who killed the Papuan people, and who now comes claiming to be a hero in the midst of an armed conflict? They come, kill civilians, and then disguise themselves as heroes. That is colonialism," Tabuni said on Friday.
He also pointed to Bobon Santoso's participation in the visit, saying the content creator planned to produce a video featuring a traditional Papuan pig feast in Lanny Jaya.
"We believe this is merely an attempt to overshadow the documentary Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time, directed by Daddy Laksono and his colleagues," he said.
According to Tabuni, the visit also disrupted preparations for nationwide protests planned by the KNPB under the theme "Papua: A Military and Humanitarian Emergency Zone" on Aug. 3 and Aug. 15.
"For that reason, the KNPB, as the people's movement, rejects all forms of military operations in Papua by any means, because they are part of the state's effort to Indonesianise the Papuan people," he said.
Before travelling to Lanny Jaya, Sikumbang officially launched the 2026 Large-Scale Community Service Program of the XVII/Cenderawasih Military Regional Command for Papua Highlands at the Jayawijaya regent's office on Thursday.
The program was inaugurated with the symbolic handover of work equipment to military personnel who will carry out development projects in the field.
The program includes the construction of bridges, hydram pumps to provide clean water, and a school building that is already under construction.
In addition to infrastructure projects, the program also includes social activities such as free medical services, the distribution of food aid, and a blood donation drive involving around 800 prospective civil servants recruited under Jayawijaya's 2024 intake.
Residents of Jayawijaya have also been invited to attend the Kuali Merah Putih event at Hepuba Field in Asolokobal District on Saturday, where Bobon Santoso and his team are scheduled to cook and share a meal with the community.